After All This Time
by acarebearwithfangs
Summary: "It means you're going to cancel on whatever dumb, roided up jock you said yes to and you're going to go with somebody else." Lydia frowned. "Who?" "I haven't decided yet."
1. Chapter 1

"Nothing's wrong," Allison said as she and Lydia stepped onto the escalator. "I just, ugh, have a lot on my mind."

"You could smile at least. Ever hear the saying 'Never frown. Someone could be falling in love with your smile'." Lydia countered perkily.

Her tone dropped a little when Allison sighed. "Smile, Allison, I'm buying you a dress."

"I have to admit, as far as apologies go, that's more than I expected."

"Excellent." Lydia said, looking away.

"But not as much as I'm gonna ask." A teasing smile played on Allison's lips.

"What?" Lydia turned back to Allison, nervous again. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're going to cancel on whatever dumb, roided up jock you said yes to and you're going to go with somebody else."

Lydia frowned. "Who?"

"I haven't decided yet." Allison gestured to the wide store in front of them as they stepped off the escalator.

"Wait a minute," Lydia held up her finger as she scanned the floor, hoping Allison wasn't thinking what she thinks she's thinking, "Is that what this whole trip is about? I thought we were shopping for a dress."

"We are." Allison beamed. "We just have to shop for a date first."

"You want me to pick up some random stranger at a Macy's store?" Lydia pouted.

"Aw, don't frown, Lydia. Someone could be falling in love with your smile."

* * *

"This is hopeless." Lydia threw up her hands after what felt like hours of roaming but was really only about half of one. Pointing out various men in the store, she declared "Too young. Too old. Too...hideously unattractive. Too poor, probably can't even afford a ticket, let alone a suit."

Allison frowned at the last one. "How do you know that?"

"Please, Allison, I know fashion and every item part of that guy's outfit is from some cheap knock-off brand. Plus he's not buying anything, he's just window shopping, soaking in the glamour he could never afford."

"Well what about that one?" Allison pointed to a slouched over guy in the corner.

Lydia tilted her head and did a quick assessment. Blue-green eyes, curls of light brown hair, it looked almost dark blonde. Just tall enough to be the same height as her in heels, relatively fashionable and seemed a little jumpy, like he wasn't really sure what he was doing here. He was cute in a loser kind of way. He seemed vaguely familiar but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"He'll do." Lydia said simply and marched her way over to him. The click clack of her heels echoed slightly, enough to attract the attention of the boy in question. He looked up, startled, then recognizing her face, he seemed to freeze as if a deer caught in headlights.

Lydia thought nothing of it. She usually had that effect on boys. "You," She pointed her finger at his chest, not accusingly but slightly flirtatiously, "are going to be my date to the winter formal at Beacon Hills High School." She said, her tone posing it as a statement, not a question.

"I...I am?" He stammered, staring dumbfounded at her perfectly manicured finger touching him.

"Yes," Lydia answered in a clipped voice. "I assume you know your way there? You'll pick me up at six so we can be fashionably late. I like to make an entrance."

"I know where it is," He seemed to have gained a quiet confidence about him now that he's had time to adjust to the idea of Lydia Martin asking him out. Still, he was looking at the floor when he said, "I go there."

"Excellent." Lydia started to turn around when he quickly spilled out, "But I don't have a car."

Lydia turned back to face him, rolling her eyes, and sighed, "I like my dates with a nice ride."

"I only have a bike..." He mumbled "...with a chain..." He looked up at her as if that had some kind of significance.

"He can borrow mine."

The boy seemed to jump at the sound of another voice entering the conversation, a man who seemed to pop from just around the corner.

"I'm his father." The older man extended his hand for Lydia to shake. "And I'll be happy to lend him my car if it means he can get a date with a beautiful girl...for the first and probably the only time in his life."

"Problem solved." She beamed. "You know where I live, right?" She asked and then without waiting for an answer, she went on. "Of course you do. Everybody does. It's where parties of the year are thrown."

Spinning around, she began to strut away when she heard the boy timidly call out, "Aren't you going to ask me my name?"

"Mm, no." She replied without missing a beat, let alone turning around.

"It's Isaac. Isaac Lahey."

Lydia turned around to face him. His father had an expression on his face like he found the entire situation utterly amusing.

"Well, Isaac, Isaac Lahey," Lydia parroted in a clipped tone. "I didn't ask."


	2. Chapter 2

"I have to say you clean up well." Lydia studied Isaac as he drove them to the formal and she had to admit, he made a fine enough rebound from Jackson than she initially gave him credit for.

Isaac's lips twitched."I suppose that's the biggest compliment I'll ever get out of you."

She waited a moment, two moments, then as if reading her mind, he continued "I'd mention how pretty you look but that's nothing new. And I figured you already knew that."

Lydia pursed her lips, barely containing a smile. "It was nice of your dad to lend you his car for the night."

Isaac's hands tightened on the steering wheel just a fraction but he showed no other reaction. "Yeah." Isaac said, keeping his eyes on the road. "He joked that this was the only way I could ever get a date." His tone didn't really sound like he was joking but Lydia didn't push it. They sat in silence for the rest of the way there.

* * *

Lydia had planned to spend most of the dance sitting at her and Isaac's table, having to restrain herself from scanning the room to avoid Jackson and Allison. It was quite easy until they started dancing in a spot not far from them.

"You want to dance?" Isaac asked, following her eyes.

"Pass."

"Okay...you want to use me to make your ex-boyfriend jealous?"

Lydia turned to look at him and narrowed her eyes. He had knowing look of amusement on his face. She took his hand without a word and led him to the dance floor.

She had nothing to be ashamed of if the looks she got when she and Isaac arrived a little later than everyone else were any indication. Isaac may have no social standing to speak of – if he did, they would've met a lot sooner – but he was still attractive enough to be on her arm and turn heads. Some were confused and some were of appraisal but she had certainly done well without the _co-captain_ of the lacrosse team. When she said this out loud as they swayed to the music, Isaac shook his head, his shoulders shaking if he were trying not to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Lydia asked, miffed. She checked to see if Jackson was looking but was thankful to find he hadn't noticed her date laughing at her.

"Lydia." Isaac said kindly. "We've met."

She rolled her eyes. "Well I guess you didn't leave much of an impression then."

"It was the first day of freshman year. I asked you out. And you laughed at me."

"Well, I'm sorry I don't remember." Lydia said uncomfortably. "A lot of guys have asked me out."

"You told me to come back when the bike I rode to school had an engine, not a chain."

Realization dawned upon her. "Isaac Lahey." She said, slowly. "You're on the lacrosse team. Jackson says you pretty much always get benched."

"That would be me." Isaac said with a wry smile.

"That's where your crack about your bike came from the other day?" Lydia asked incredulously.

He shrugged. "I can joke about it now. It hurt pretty bad then but," He bit his lip and looked at her, "hey, no hard feelings, alright?"

"Well, I'm sorry anyway." She dropped her arms and stopped swaying, looking stunned.

"Well, your apology is appreciated anyway." He said, smiling ruefully and taking her hands to start dancing again.

* * *

"You okay?" Isaac asked, about two or three dances later when Lydia started looking around.

"I just need to take a little break." She looked down.

"You mean you need to go find Jackson."

Lydia looked up and nodded, a tad regretfully.

"It's okay." He let go of her and shrugged a little nonchalantly. "I guess my job for the night is done?"

"That's not the only..." ..._reason I came with you, _Lydia started to protest but she bit her tongue. Wasn't it? That and Allison made her. "I should go." She said instead.

He nodded and stepped back, watching her leave.

Isaac spent the rest of the night, mostly sitting by himself. At one point, he noticed Stiles, who Lydia shared a dance with upon request, looking over at him. He thought Stiles wanted to say something to him but then he disappeared before Isaac could think too much of it. Finally, just when he was about to leave, his cell phone rang.

* * *

"What happened to her?" He asked, running up to Sheriff Stilinski. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Are you Isaac? The boy I spoke to on the phone, the boy she went to the dance with?"

Isaac nodded, trying to get look at her through the window but the sheriff and Jackson were blocking most of the view.

"Well the answer is they don't know," Sheriff Stilinski replied, "to both your questions. Did you see anything? I mean, do you have any idea who or what attacked her?"

Isaac shook his head. "All I know is that she went looking for Jackson."

"But Jackson found her instead." Sheriff Stilinski said quietly, more to himself than to Isaac, and then walked past him. "Stiles."

Isaac turned around to see Stiles Stilinski, the sheriff's son, exiting the elevator and his father starting to question him. When he turned back around, he caught Jackson's eye.

Not knowing what to do, he could only sit. And wait.

* * *

**AN: **_So this story will follow canon as closely as possible with a Lydia/Isaac angle._


End file.
